It is known that a large number of infants born prematurely will enter the learning disabled population, especially those born small for gestational age. But a significant number will have good outcomes. Moreover, a certain number of neonates with good medical histories will become learning disabled. Statistical examination of medical variables is unlikely to discriminate more competent from less competent infants. We have developed measures of infant behavior which get at issues of neurobehavioral integration. We feel this is the way to assess infant competence so as to provide a basis for prediction from the newborn period to the school age years. In a small pilot study, we demonstrated that newborn infants behavior as measured by our Assessment of Premature Infant Behavior (APIB) scale clustered into 3 groups. The same infants whose behavior was measured by our Kangaroo Box Paradigm (K-Box) at 9 months likewise clustered into 3 groups. When clusters were ranked on the basis of the merit of the individual measures defining them, cluster correspondence between the newborn and 9 months age points was statistically significant. Moreover, neurophysiological studies on newborn infants suggested that by Brain Electrical Activity Mapping (BEAM) there were differences between more and less competent infants involving association cortex. Similar regional differences were found in our previous study of normal and dyslexic children. Our long term goal is prediction of educational competence from the newborn period. As a first step, we propose to use the statistical procedures of automated classification (TICAS) and non-parametric multivariate discriminant analysis (TICAS & NPDISC) to predict from the newborn period to the pre-linguistic 9 month point, using behavioral and neurophysiological measures--alone and in combination. We would hope to follow these children as they enter school. Successful identification of patterns of competence will provide (1) a benchmark for further prediction and (2) a target for more efficient utilization of scarce intervention resources.